Prevalence and distribution of mastitis pathogens in subclinically infected dairy cows in Flanders, Belgium |
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Authors: | Piepers Sofie De Meulemeester Luc de Kruif Aart Opsomer Geert Barkema Herman W De Vliegher Sarne |
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Affiliation: | Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium. Sofie.Piepers@UGent.be |
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Abstract: | The main objective was to determine the prevalence of intramammary infections (IMI) in dairy cows in Flanders, Belgium. Data were obtained from quarter milk samples of dairy herds subjected to a mandatory yearly screening of all lactating cows. A total of 178,668 quarter milk samples were collected at 1087 cross-sectional dairy herd screenings performed in three consecutive years. Of the dairy cows, 40% had at least one culture-positive quarter. More than 50% of all IMI were caused by non-aureus staphylococci. Streptococcus agalactiae is almost eradicated in Flanders, whereas Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 18% of the culture-positive quarters. In addition, the distribution of mastitis pathogens in quarter milk samples from selected dairy cows with an elevated somatic cell count (SCC) is described. From 6390 cows with a geometric mean composite SCC 250,000 cells/ml, nearly 65% had at least one culture-positive quarter. The majority of the IMI were caused by non-aureus staphylococci (41.1%), whereas Staph. aureus and aesculin-positive cocci were found in respectively 25% and 18% of the culture-positive milk samples. We conclude that more efforts are needed in the prevention and control of subclinical mastitis in Flanders. Non-aureus staphylococci are the predominant cause of IMI, warranting more research regarding the epidemiology and pathogenicity of those species. |
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